In hindsight, I could have picked the winning numbers in the $640 million world record-breaking Mega Millions jackpot.
Each of the winning numbers has significance in my sporting world. So, if I had been thinking straight -- or had a vision -- I could have selected 2, 4, 23, 38, 46 and Megaball 23. If so, I would be lighting cigars with $100 bills instead of hammering out my semi-weekly tripe.
The winning numbers make sense now.
2: The number of shots it took for me to get my golf ball into the hole on the par-5 No. 6 hole at Mayville Golf Club last July.
4 (fore): What I yell after most of my shots.
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23: The uniform number of Michael Jordan, the greatest player in the world's greatest game.
38: A time-tested lucky lottery number. According to the Internet, which is never inaccurate, No. 38 has been called 14 times more often than the next most-drawn ball in United Kingdom lotteries.
46: Former UND linebacker Mike Mooney's uniform number. Mooney turned around UND football in 1993, when he stripped an NDSU ballcarrier and went the other way for a touchdown for a 22-21 victory to snap a 12-game losing streak to the Bison.
Megaball 23: Again, Jordan, who's even more skilled than a double-eagle made by bouncing your golf ball off the rocks.
There's a good reason that I didn't pick last week's numbers. It's because I normally don't participate in the lottery. The reluctance is for two reasons: 1) I fear losing; and 2) I fear winning.
The odds of winning are remote, so the lottery runs counter to my Norwegian tightwad instincts. You'd have a better chance of winning if you bet on Dave Hakstol smiling. And, history shows that big jackpots damage more lives than they enhance.
But, I strayed from my tight-fisted ways last week by contributing a whopping $1 to the office lottery pool, which is activated when the jackpot gets big. It was a bonding experience.
That camaraderie provides the biggest benefit of lotteries. For several days, we could joke about the joy of winning the lottery, retiring and never again covering a planning and zoning commission meeting.
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So, the next time the lottery reaches the jackpot threshold, I'll be back. It was worth the $1 risk.
Reach Bakken at (701) 780-1125; (800) 477-6572, ext. 125; or send email to rbakken@gfherald.com .
